Sipalay City is being touted by Philippine tourism chiefs as a “clean tourist city” and “top sustainable destination”.
Sipalay, which is about 100 miles from Bacolod City, is known for its white sand beaches and crystal clear waters, attracting both foreign and local tourists.
Artemio Ticar, development chief with the Department of Tourism (DOT) in Western Visayas said the city could be the province’s next awardee of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Clean Tourist City and the Top 100 Sustainable Destinations.
Both these international recognitions have already been given to San Carlos City in the north of the province.
Sipalay would also be a worthy beneficiary of both awards, Mr Ticar said.
He also noted that Sipalay, like San Carlos, has been implementing programmes such as the establishment of an eco-centre with a sanitary landfill and other facilities that promote environment protection and conservation.
“We hope these initiatives will enable Sipalay City to also qualify as potential recipient of these awards maybe next year,” he said.
Precedent for Sipalay
Earlier this year, San Carlos was a recipient of the 1st ASEAN Clean Tourist City award during the ASEAN Tourism Forum in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
The city received the award after complying with the requirements of the ‘Clean Tourist City Standard’, which was designed to protect the environment and contribute to the sustainable development of Southeast Asian cities.
Then, in September, San Carlos was recognised as among the 2018 Top 100 Sustainable Destinations by Green Destinations.
This initiative aims to recognise tourism destinations that have worked hard to make a difference and take sustainability seriously.
Mr Ticar said Sipalay should also adopt “green” practices such as sourcing power from renewable sources.
“These practices support our bid for sustainable tourism development on top of other aspects like ensuring standards for products and services as well as safety and security of tourists,” he added.
Jerick Lacson, city tourism operations officer, said Sipalay’s tourism campaign was already focusing on being more sustainable.
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